WASHINGTON — Providing federal funding for commercial spaceports is the goal of Congressman Dale Strong’s bipartisan bill to bolster space transportation.
The Spaceport Project Opportunities for Resilient Transportation (SPACEPORT) Act would help develop more infrastructure projects at spaceports, which are launch and reentry sites for spacecraft. It updated the Federal Aviation Administration’s Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching grant program, which provides federal grants for spaceport infrastructure to better meet the needs of civil, commercial and national security launches.
“With unmatched capabilities across civil, commercial and national security space programs, North Alabama is uniquely positioned to drive the infrastructure that will define the next generation of space innovation,” Strong, R-Huntsville, said in a statement.
Huntsville International Airport was the first commercial airport approved by the FAA as a reentry site for space vehicle landings. There are 14 licensed commercial spaceports in the United States, according to Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-NM, a Senate sponsor of the legislation.
The CEO of Huntsville International Airport, Butch Roberts, lauded the bill and said it would help fund future investments at the Alabama spaceport.
In 2022, the airport was licensed to support the reentry and landing of the Sierra Space DreamChaser commercial space vehicle, which will supply the International Space Station through uncrewed vehicles.
“The landing of Dream Chaser at Huntsville International Airport is part of a vision for community growth that builds upon our history of space, science, and exploration, and this legislation will help us compete for future commercial space economic opportunities,” Roberts said in a statement.
“We applaud Congressman Strong for his leadership in support of legislation that will ensure strong and resilient space transportation capabilities.”
The federal funding program for spaceports has not been modernized since 1994, when it was created. The SPACEPORT Act would also update the funding mechanisms used to create new spaceports across the country.
Strong also introduced the bill last Congress. Reps. Vince Fong and George Whitesides of California are cosponsors. In the upper chamber, Sens. John Hickenlooper, D-CO, John Cornyn, R-TX, Roger Wicker, R-MS, and Luján are sponsoring the companion bill.